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If you own a wireless Xbox controller, you know how quickly you can go through batteries. You'll end up spending a fortune on them, especially if you are such an addict like me! Eventually I had the common sense to get one of these chargers and the rechargeable battery.

I purchased this from game about a year ago and to this day have never failed to work. Though this may seem like something you would expect from such a product, you had to understand that wires in my house last about as long as our unhidden chocolate. As the connecter to the controller is so thick, it is unlikely that the cases of the wire will split which is usually our downfall.

To work the charger, all you have to do it plug in the usb to the Xbox and the other end to the back of the Xbox controller. This doesn't get in the way of playing at all though the wires can get quite annoying it you have other people using there's too. The red light will light up when it is charging and this doesn't take very long at all though I tend to leave mine in.

Because of the wires getting in the way something, I know many of my friend find it much easier to charge up batteries instead though I find the battery you can buy to last much longer that there's. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who has an Xbox as you will end up saving a lot more money in the long run and they tend to only cost something around £15 depending where you purchase from. This is also available in black.

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Batteries last longer than this thing, buy them or an unofficial one

This play and charge kit was supposed to replace batteries for good in my controller, and it hasnt done that. I have had numerous problems from the moment i bought it. The fact that the battery pack only lasts a couple months, the cable is weak and flimsy, and you dont get a long warranty.

When in use the controller keeps cutting out at the most inconvenient times and i now play without the battery pack (its now in the bin) because a 2 hour charge gives roughly 10 minutes of play. It wasnt like this at the start, but over time the battery pack wore out and died. To begin with it has about 4 hours of play before it cuts out completely. You will get a rotational LED warning on your controller when this happens and you can view the packs battery status on the guide button in the top left corner. Terrible charge and economy of power usage.

I paid £10 for mine and i can see already Microsoft are making serious profits on this. It just doesn't meet the standard I expect from a gaming product. Ease of use is where it scores some marks back, you get a multi language manual and a simple plug and play set up, it works straight out the box and your console will instantly start working with it.

The mechanical problems started after just a few weeks when the LED at the top started to break down and cut out when charging, so i had no idea if it was charged up, or even on charge for that matter. The next problem occoured when there was a break in the wire, this was through just basic general use and happened after about 2 months.

This is an expensive replacement for batteries, and it wont even replace them, you might as well buy a wired controller, its cheaper, better quality and no messing around with batteries all the time. I still need batteries to stop the cutting out during gameplay, so heres the option: get batteries, or part with another £10 and get another kit, rewarding microsoft with more money for their rubbish product. I will buy an unofficial one next time or atick with batteries. They last just as long as the kit i suppose.

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not as good as I expected

Batteries were working out really expensive and it is a pain keeping track of battery levels, making sure that you do not get caught out while gaming. We bought the play and charge kit as it seemed an easy solution to the battery problem.

==Price and availability==

The play and charge set costs around £9.99 and is sold in most game stores or electrical retailers.

==Description==

The device is really easy to use. It is a battery pack that fits on the wireless controller and then there is a wire that plugs it into the USB port of the console and links to the controller. The battery pack can be charged up whilst you are gaming, meaning you never miss a thing, however then you no longer have a wireless controller. You can leave the controller battery to charge up whilst connected to the Xbox but it does need to be switched on. The cable has a red light on for charging and a green light for full charge.

A full charge should last around 25 hours which is great. Although it does take a long time to get to full charge! It takes over 5 hours to reach full charge.

==My experiences==

This was the first play and charge kit we bought and at first we were pleased with it. It saved money on not having to buy batteries and a full charge of the controller lasted as long as batteries would anyway. The whole thing is easy to set up and easy to use.

The downside to the set up though is that the wire just does not charge the battery pack up quick enough, it takes ages which means you have to play whilst it is charging. Not a problem, but the whole point of a wireless controller is to be wireless!After about 6 months of using the lead, we started to notice that a full charge was lasting less and less time. So much that, a full charge was only lasting about 12 hours so we felt that we constantly had the controller on charge whilst we were playing. Not only this, the battery pack was getting quite hot from constantly being charged. Feeling a bit dissatisfied with the item I decided to buy the quick charge kit, which I find much more successful as it charges battery packs on a docking station. This means that there are no more annoying wires. I much prefer this product rather than the play and charge kit.

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This is a very well designed piece of kit that offers up something simple yet brilliant

Having picked up your official Xbox 360 controller and played your way through your first set of batteries you realise you are going to be playing the console a lot so why not get yourself a rechargeable battery pack? This is the official offering from Microsoft but is it really all that?

Pros:This is great battery that will give you up to 35 hours gameplay from one charge so that you should not need to use the charger too much (even if when you need to use it then it will not be a problem).The charge kit you are receiving here is brilliant as it will enable you to play your controller whilst it is plugged in and so whilst you are charging up the battery you don't need to lost out on gaming time.The battery pack is not too heavy so is not going to make having this on your controller an inconvenience.The charger plugs into the top of your controller which means when you are playing the console with this plugged in it is not going to cause you any difficulties or awkwardness when playing as the cable and charger kit are both out of your way and not going to impact on your ability to control things.The kit comes with a very reasonable price tag as it is available for about £10 and for this you get the battery and the charger cable.

Negatives:None

This is a great piece of kit and something I recommend for anyone who is in to their gaming as it is cheap but will enable you to game until your hearts contentand not need to keep on spending money on batteries each time. The battery pack will allow up to 35 hours gameplay from one charge and while charging you can still play thankfully. A must have and something I got the first time my batteries ran out.

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A must have if you use your xbox a lot

When I first got an Xbox 360 all my friends told me that I needed to get a play and charge but I didn't really see the point. I thought it was just an extra £10 on top of the £200 I had already paid for the Xbox. I'd had my Xbox for a few months and had already changed my batteries like 8 times when I decided to finally just buy one. I know that it seem like an unnecessary cost but it actually ends up saving you money. You only ever need to buy one of these (well one per controller) but if you use your Xbox 360 a lot you may need to change them every week or so.

The play and charge kit works by replacing the battery holder with a rechargeable battery. You then plug a cable from your Xbox controller to the USB slot on you Xbox. The great thing about it is that you can still use you controller while it is charging which is really useful. One it is fully charged the light on the play and charge kit turns green. Once unplugged the controller will last for like 8 hours.

One of the main problems with the play and charge kit is that often the battery pack just dies. Fortunately this has not happened to me yet but I have only had it for a few months though. This has happened to a few people I know which is very annoying.

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A great accessory for you Xbox 360

The Microsoft Xbox 360 play and charge kit allows you to use your Xbox 360 controller with out the need of AA batteries. The play and charge kit contains a chargeable battery pack and a charging cable. The chargeable battery pack is white and the charging cable is white and grey.

To use the play and charge kit you simply put one end of the charging cable in your controller and the other end in the USB port on your Xbox 360. Next put the battery pack in to the back of your controller. Once you have done this a red light should appear on the charging cable above your controller. This means its charging and if it goes green it means it fully charged and you can disconnect your charging cable.

I've been using the Xbox 360 play and charge kit for about three years now and have never had a problem with it. Its easy to use and matches the colour of my Xbox 360. Once charged it usually lasts about 15 - 20 hours before it needs charging again. Over the past year I've noticed my controller needs charging more often and now only lasts about 4 - 8 hours before it needs charging again. I think my battery pack is dieing but you can buy another one for around £5.

Overall its easy to use, reliable and saves you money in the long run. I would highly recommend this to anyone who owns an Xbox 360 with a wireless controller as it lets you use your Xbox 360 controller without the frustration of changing the AA batteries every few hours and saves you money.

I brought mine for £9.99 at Game but you can get it on there website for £8.98.

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Why pay for AA batteries when you can have this!?

The Play and Charge kit by Microsoft is designed for the Xbox 360 controllers. It's a great piece of kit that not only is extremely useful, it's also great in saving money in the longer term.

The kit allows you to charge and play at the same time. In the box you get a battery packs, the charger and the manufactorers guide and warranty information. The charger itself is a couple of meteres long as so it's good whether you play close to your tv/console or a bit further away. The charger has a piece at the top where it plugs into your controller where it lights up: Red means it's charging and Green means it's fully charged. The other end of the wire is a USB which goes into the front of your Xbox 360 console. The baterry packs simply goes in the back of your controller and takes the place of normal AA batteries. Also, this battery pack has the cover and clip attached to it so the one with the controller itself is not needed.

The battery lasts for around 25-30 hours which i think is great. I used to use Duracell AA batteries and they lasted around 15 hours i think and cost quite alot of money having to keep buying more. To fully charge it only takes 2-3 hours and you can even leave it in if you want to as the batteries will not overcharge and they will simply use the chargers power instead of using the battery power.

There are 2 colours available for this product: White or Black. I have the White version as i got a normal White Xbox 360 and therefore a White controller but if you have an Xbox 360 Elite which are black then you can use the black version of this kit. However, you can use any colour on any colour controller, it will still work but it will look a bit ugly!

The price i paid was £15 from GAME. They are still roughly this price and it really is a great price. After only a few charges you will realise how much money you have already saved by not having to get normal AA batteries which are getting quite expensive now. It also lasts longer than AA batteries so there's the 'less hassle' issue here also.

It saves those awkward moments when your about to play a game that you've been looking forward to all day, only to realised that you need a new set of batteries but you haven't got any in the house!

Definately reccomend for every single Xbox 360 owner. It's a no brainer really.

10/10 no faults at all!

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Good device which saves you money and time

The play and charge kit from Microsoft allows you to continue playing your games without the need to replace batteries every few weeks or charge your controller up using a dock. As the product name suggests, you simply plug the device into your Xbox USB drive and then plug the other end into your controller, it allows you to endlessly play without that annoying 'please reconnect controller' text box coming up in the corner every 5 minutes.

It looks fairly basic, with a long wire which can sometimes get in the way but is very useful when your seat is situated a few meters from the TV (like it should be). It is available in both black and white for which ever controller you have, however both colours work with either controller.

Cheaper versions are available but from personal experience i found that the non-official version tend to 'break' your controller to some extent, by this i mean that they make your controller depend on the play and charge kit to be plugged into your controller in order for the controller to even turn on (other problems may be that they do not charge your battery pack), however it is still a very good choice instead of having to continuously buy batteries which can be expensive.

This product is a must have for anybody who owns an Xbox 360, it enables you to play for unlimited amounts of time and saves you money in the long run, what more could you want?

This review is also available on my Ciao account, posted by me (Warda010)

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Good product but may not last for ever

I have had two of these charge packs for a few years now and when I got them I thought they were a real good solution to replace batteries. They would save me money on buying lots of batteries and prevent the controller from dying rite at that important part of the game (usually when online). The charge packs where good for a long time but as the months went on the charge time started to reduce and reduce which ment I was charging them more often than i was replacing batteries. This was still a money saver in my eyes until now, Ok my charge packs and xbox is very old like 5+ years but the charge packs no longer charge anymore. If i plug the cable in the controller will work but the charge pack does not charge or if it does only for a few minutes.

Looking at this in the long run the charge pack has saved a lot of money and time but they dont last for life! This problem has happend to friends of mine to so its not just me.

Overall the charge packs:

Save moneySave time replaceing and looking for new batteriesStops controller dying (if you make sure its charged)BUT doesnt last for ever

I would still recommend these MS charge packs to anyone as they do come in very handy and for the price I believe you would get your moneys worth

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Great little product!

==Introduction and the product==

Bought this item a few weeks ago and well what can I say it is hardly a new ferrari or a new xbox, but it saves you money in the long run, and to use a cliche it does exactly what it says on the tin. Brilliant product from Microsoft and a cheaper alternative from the likes of 'Gameware' can be bought. The product for me has been beneficial as i was fed up of spending a fiver on batteries every two weeks - and I am sure most gamers are hence why this is so popular.

==Lasting thoughts==

The overall feel of the product is good, it works well charging and fits well into the back of the controller without causing any additional problems with handling. It charges within an hour of playing for most sessions. Another positive with this product is that the charge pack can be placed in a charge docking station when not playing so that you can ensure you're always playing on decent battery levels.

One thing i have noticed which may be of benefit to some, is that the wire will run the controller without the battery pack in - meaning that you can place the battery pack in one controller and power the other with the wire (Be aware it will not recharge other batteries or normal battery packs - but is an interesting concept worth trying whilst gaming with mates or companions)

==Negative==

Only negative being when plugged in and charging it feels like you should just be using a wired controller (therefore not as good as the charge docking station which can be bought for a similar price, I bought mine for £15 from Game).

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A great idea, but how long it lasts is unpredictable.

The Xbox 360 Controller, really does use alot of batterys and they dont last long at all. So purchasing something like this is a very good idea for anyone who uses there Xbox 360 quite alot.

The product itself consists of a battery which replaces the battery holder in the Xbox 360 Controller. There is also a long lead where one end plugs into the Xbox 360 USB slot, and over one goes into the top of the controller.

The way to use this Play and Charge kit is to plug it in either when your playing, or when your Xbox is off, and it will charge up the battery. The battery lasts quite a while before you need to plug it in again to charge it up. This saves so much money on batteries its probably a good idea to have one.

After having mine for less then a year, all of a sudden my battery went dead. So now whenever I use the Xbox Controller I have to have the cable plugged in. I may aswell now just have a wired controller. Also a few of my friends have had this problem, so I know its not just me

I think the product is very good idea, and if you have an Xbox 360 Controller you should get one. However with my experience I wonder how long this will last until the battery dies.

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As I mentioned in my Xbox 360 wireless controller review instead of constantly forking out for new AA batteries everytime they run out you are much better off buying the Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit. As not only does it save you money in the long run from having to always buy batteries, you can also continue to play the game whilst the controller is charging which is nice little bonus.

The Play & Charge kit comes in a little blister pack which is quite simple and has the Xbox 360 design. You can see the charging kit through the blister pack. The Play & Charge kit claims to give 18 hours of battery charge to the rechargable batteries which come with the kit.

The Play & Charge kit is really simple to use. It is just a case of slotting the USB cable into one of the two ports on the front of the Xbox and then clipping the other end into the top of the controller. The bit which clips into the top will turn red when it is first plugged in to show that it is charging but once it is fully charged it will turn green.

The USB cable is long enough and reaches nicely to the Xbox from the edge of the bed (we have our Xbox in the bedroom). You can still use the controller whilst it is being charged but it will be as a wired controller. Another thing I like about the Play & Charge kit is that you don't have to leave the Xbox on whilst you are charging it. You can turn the system off and it will still charge.

I find that the battery is long lasting and holds its charge pretty well. It definately holds it for the 18 hours it states it does.

Highly recommended as a way to avoid having to constantly replace batteries.

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A must for anyone with a xbox 360!

This is a must for anyone with a xbox 360, throughout owning a xbox 360, the number of batteries you'll end up using is amazing when you work it out, I was previously having to stick brand new batteries into my controllers at least three times every week, which start to become a pain!

Thankfully now, after buying this product, I can simply leave my controllers are charge when I go out, return to find them fully charged and ready to be used, it does increase the weight of the controller by a small amount, but it's barely noticeable.

Being able to play the game still, while your controller is charging is another great feature, there have been a number of times I've been playing online and my controller has ran out of battery power, so I've had to run to grab some more batteries, now I can simply plug in my xbox 360 controller, allowing it to charge while I'm still playing it!

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An excellent accessory - probably the best for the Xbox 360

If you use a wireless Microsoft Xbox 360 controller, you may be inclined to buy one of these. Out of all the Xbox 360 accessories, I'd say this is firstly the best, secondly the most useful and thirdly the best value one in comparison to some of the others, which are usually overly expensive and/or not necessary.

The play and charge kit as an RRP of £14.99 but you can buy it online for £12.99. It comes in a plastic box, which is quite tricky to open and the plastic gets in the way too. This is quite common nowadays with similar products so I'm used to it, but the box is quite hard to get in to!

The kit comes out easily once you've broken in enough. It consists of a rechargeable pack that fits into your controller as well as an adapter that is linked to the Xbox for charging. The rechargeable pack is a bit heavier than the standard pack with 2 AA batteries and it adds weight to the controller, which takes getting used to.

The pack slots into the back of the controller as does the battery pack and a little press of the button will release it easily. When the controller starts running out of power from the battery pack, you will need to recharge it. This is made clear from the controller itself and your Xbox. On the controller, the lights around the home button will start flashing in a circular fashion. Also, you will see when you bring up the menu by pressing this home button whilst on the Xbox that your battery indicated in the top corner has 1 bar left.

The wire adapter slots into the port at the top of the controller in between the triggers. It fits in easily and is released just as easily. Once in, you must plug the other end into your Xbox 360 in one of the USB ports on the front. These are hidden at the bottom (whilst standing upright) under the flap. The wire is dark grey to match the Xbox 360 colour scheme and the battery pack is white to match the controller, although you can buy a black version for the same price for the Elite console controller. The wire is pretty long at around 3 metres.

The fully charged battery pack will last 25 hours of gameplay and I find this to be quite accurate. You must NOT let it charge when it's full anyway like any battery or always connect it back after playing to 'top up' the pack as it will simply stop working. With correct use, this is a great buy and will save you money from buying AA batteries all the time to power your controller! Just make sure you have a spare set of AAs just in case and that the controller is charged enough before playing and you'll be good to go!

Thanks for reading!

:)

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Great working and useful piece of kit

This is an essential bit of kit for the wireless xbox 360 gamer. It connects to an official xbox wireless game pad and charges the special rechargeable battery (that is included within this pack) whilst giving you the ability to still play while it does so. The cable length of the kit is quite good and so there need be no worry of this inhibiting your gameplay. The LED light on the cable connector also displays whether the kit is battery is charging or has completed which is a handy feature. Even when you are not actively playing the xbox the controller will continue to charge as it draws power from the xbox in standby mode, this does generate a slight noise from the xbox while it does this however. The battery supplied with the kit holds a pretty decent charge and keeps going for quite some time. The only possible bad point I could find is that the recharge time can seem quite a long time, which is obvisouly increased if you continue to play during the charging process, but on a whole a sound piece of tech. Also during recharge the xbox never "fully" switches off, so you can still hear the fans going which can be quite noisey.